"I'll admit I may have seen better days,
but I'm still not to be had for the price of a cocktail,
like a salted
peanut"(Margo Channing)

Saturday, 15 October 2016

Village News

Sandra on her allotment in the centre of the village,

The left part of the house behind her is auntie Glad's

The Prof is working this morning at campus so as the day resembles the greyness that Rachel loves so much in urban Russia, I am presently catching up with blog reading, the national news and a good coffee.
Autumn is here and as so happens in Trelawnyd, the village seems to be shutting down for the winter.
Affable despot Jason has already told me that he will see me in the spring.
" I hibernate in the winter" he told me just the other day. His daughters were selling homemade bracelets at their garden gate at the time and Liv gave me one for the Prof.
That will umph his street cred with the younger undergraduates!

Sandra C knocked on our door yesterday. She was all breathless and giggly and reminded me of a cross between Felicity Kendal and and young Joanna Lumley.
Sandra is perhaps the nicest person in Trelawnyd.
She had tied her new pug to the gate where he stood smiling broadly at me.
Trust Sandra to have an equally happy and sweet natured dog.

" I 'm organising a Christmas fayre in the village hall in December and don't know what to do" she gasped. Apparently the hall is in need of some decoration and funds need to be raised, she had offered and already she had some ideas for the music, a father Christmas,.......could I tell her about the legalities of raffle tickets, who could do the food? was she allowed cream on the mince pies and could I introduce the singing school children....seeing that I could make a speech at the opening of a fridge door?. ......it all came out in a rush!
As a trained Samaritan, I found it pretty easy to calm things down and sent her away with some helpful information, and the promise that I would galvanise a few volunteers to " do the refreshments"
" delegate key jobs" I told her " and have a jumble table in one corner......tat always sells"

Anyway for locals that may read going gently the fayre will take place on the 3rd of December....
If you have any further ideas to help out, donations for the raffle, offers of volunteering etc please contact a slightly stressed and goggle eyed Sandra at her house on Llys Mostyn.

My coffee has gone cold, but I like it that way....Albert is play fighting with Mary as the sun comes out, and the cottage bursts into light and life

Right, I'll go now, Saturdays are always low blogger reader days and so a long rambling blog entry is sometimes a waste of time, but I wanted to welcome the new commentators and visitors to Going Gently who numbers seemed to have increased recently. Ive only got 61 followers to go to shamelessly reach my 1000 ( and then I can die happy)
" I can't believe that so many people read your shit" one of my fellow nurses playfully commentated recently. " Old ladies, birds in tin cans, and homos... I just don't see the appeal "

I can remember you begging to reach 600 Followers and look at you now. Come on folks, make the guy happy!I'd like to drop a gentle hint that I need just 12 more to reach 400, but our life isn't as interesting as yours so it may take a while.

I read your blog because it's the most entertaining and interesting one around. I'm generally spluttering coffee over the screen in laughter, although you do quite often bring a tear to my eye with your really poignant posts. Coffee spluttering this week has been a mixture of laughter and coughing my guts up with bronchitis.

Kris, her daughter feels ( and i agree) that given the new nature of the move, cards from people she doesnt know may increase her confusion Perhaps nearer christmas, a christmas card may be a good idea? I will check and if si will post gladys adress

Impossible to believe that your reader numbers ever dip. I've been a fan for two years and faithfully read you every day. Very rarely comment since 20 minutes after apost appears, it's immediately followed by 537 responses.

Post are never wasted even on `slow reading days`, if I am ever off my fat arse long enough to miss a couple I`m quite delighted at having an `omnibus` to catch up with. And wasnt it sad about Hilda Ogden passing X

"Saturdays are always low blogger reader days and so a long rambling blog entry is sometimes a waste of time . ." Oh-oh! Maybe I chose the wrong day to re-start my abandoned blog, then. I had lost my blogging mojo since my doggy companion died in August. - Rosemary x

"a long rambling blog entry is sometimes a waste of time" ... you never know. One person might read the blog and enjoy it and perhaps it might make a difference to their day or even their life.. you never know. You don't/shouldn't think in terms of how many people are reading your blog.You certainly have enough people reading and often people save a blog to read later when they are not busy with their own lives.some blogs are long and rambling and put me to sleep.I come straight to your blog every morning, to start my day out right. you can't second guess your readers. Just blog and enjoy that, the feedback is icing on the cake. C

Weaver, you and John are the first blogs I read every morning. Lucky me when I go over to my blog list it is usually you two on the top of the list. Makes it so much fun and super nice.You both start my day off with a smile, giggle or even a tear.

The window into your world and village life is better than the best reality TV you should have your own show John. The first blog I read everyday, just keep writing in your natural compelling style and you'll soon realise your coverted number of followers........

I've just gone over to Rambler. So sorry about your pet. It really hurts.Looking forward to future blogs.John, see how your blog widens our horizons! If I follow many more blogs I won't have time for any hobbies, and my local will go broke!

They stopped putting children up chimneys long ago but there's Jason sending his daughters out to supplement his income by selling bracelets! Someone should make an anonymous phone call to the NSPCC. Poor wee things.

I predict that with your encouragement Sandra will run a fantastic Christmas Fabre, and if you play your cards right she might take over the hard work of the annual fair about the time you feel like slowing down a little ... in about 2050!!!

Keep blogging John Gray...I always enjoy reading about all things in your village (your village is easier to spell than Trelawnyd). I don't comment often but I do love reading your blog and regular commenters. Mardy from 🇨🇦

John, that remark was aimed at Ramblin' Rosie, whom thanks to your blog. I have just found. I'm not sure who's is having the senior moment (or the Ashley moment as we Emmerdale fans call it) but although I'm 70 I can assure you that my faculties are all intact, and I can say, without fear of contradiction that Maggie Thatcher is still Prime Minister.

Hi John...hope this helps you reach the 1000. Can't tell you how many times your blog has got me through. When I need a healthy dose of life `as it happens` it's you and yours I turn to. Thank you. Tricia x

It was fun hearing about Sandra. I bet the fair will be a great success with her enthusiasm and your guidance! Just read your comment re Auntie Glad and taking her a visitors book for people to sign. What a great idea!

I don't worry about numbers, no, I take that back. I do worry about having more people than I can relate to commenting. I think that's one of the reasons I let Jack 'n Jill go. Not enough time to communicate with everyone. My follower list is probably filled with people who have moved on, blog-wise and life-wise. We all change through the years.

Ok, I just followed! I've never done that before but since I read this blog every.single.day I thought I would. I live a very different life than you but love love hearing about yours! If I was local, I would totally go to the Christmas fayre! And I wish we had a village hall, but we have no village!!

Thanks for mentioning me in Russia John. All our blogs are important friends to me at the moment as I am a long way away and on my own. I am about to get up on Sunday morning and tonight I start a 37 hour train journey.

In a GP surgery as a nurse,coffee maker, cleaner up of nasty messes, TLC giver and customer services as pts think i am complaints dept. In fact the only thing I don't do YET is clean the bogs. I do out new loo roll on holder as everyone else seems to think someone else will do it. My main title is the first one the rest I seem to have found myself doing.

No thanks I would kill them all and end up in Holloway. Not intentionally of course. Actually Holloway is closing. I'll settle for Wormwood with the chaps. I take my hat off to you John and any nurses in ITU you do a great , hard job. No I will stick with immunisations, smears, wound care, copd,asthma etc and customer services. Lol

Gonna follow Rambler (when I can find her). I have almost 12 followers. It went up to 16 once, I got quite giddy! I haven't written for a lonnng time, but in my head I write every day. And compose texts to friends whilst washing up - that I don't send. I'm a talker, not a writer.The world will implode if you stop, or we will all change the channel, just like 'The Truman Show'x

I'm not sure whether I'm a follower or not. I just added your link to my blogroll, and I get here through that. I never use that Google "follow" function. (Which is probably why I have about 50 followers. :) )